4.24.2017

Watch these award-winning HBO shorts at LAAPFF

HBO presents the winners of the Asian Pacific American Visionaries short film competition.

The winners of HBO's first Asian Pacific American Visionaries short film competition will receive their world premiere screenings with an exclusive event at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival.

Exploring a range of topical issues facing the modern APA experience, the shorts offer a bold and uncompromising look at such controversial subject matter as crime, addiction and family turmoil. A panel discussion with the directors, led by Silicon Valley star Jimmy O. Yang, will immediately follow the screening.

It's happening Friday, April 27 in the Tateuchi Democracy Forum at the Japanese American National Museum. Here are some more details about the screening:

In a unique filmmaker support initiative between Visual Communications and HBO, we present the winning entries from the APA Visionaries Short Film Competition, in which Asian Pacific American artists bring to light their worlds, their visions, and their voices.

Wonderland
Tiffanie Hsu / Mexico, Taiwan, USA / 2016 / 14 mins
Stranded in Sin City for Christmas, 12-year-old Adeline struggles to keep her mother’s gambling under control, all for the promise of a perfect family holiday once her father arrives.

Toenail
Jingyi Shao / USA / 2016 / 18 mins
Frank, a career obsessed yuppie, has never seen eye to eye with Chang, his perpetually fresh-off-the-boat father. But when a broken toenail sends his father to the hospital on the eve of his big promotion, Frank comes to learn what is truly important.

Monday
Dinh Thai / USA / 2017 / 19 mins
In the culturally diverse world of Los Angeles, a young hustler navigates through various cliques while facing racism, danger, and a moral struggle with his illicit occupation. And it's only Monday.

Launched in August 2016, HBO Asian Pacific American Visionaries is an annual short film competition dedicated to showcasing emerging APA directors with unique perspectives of the Asian Pacific American experience. The competition also seeks to further the dialogue about race and representation in Hollywood. Judges for the competition included HBO executives and a panel of industry experts, including representatives from the LAAPFF and the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment.

If you can't make it to the screening, you'll be able to catch the films on HBO's various on demand platforms in May. This year's APAV winners will make their HBO premiere during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month on HBO On Demand / NOW / GO / ZONE. For further information, go here